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High-rise Condo
Downtown Evanston, 800 Elgin Rd | Evanston
Overview
Photos
Amenities

Top Amenities

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  •  24-Hour Front Desk
  •  Cat friendly
  •  Dog friendly
  •  Fitness Center
  •  Granite Countertops
  •  Hardwood Floors
  •  Indoor Pool
  •  Oversize or penthouse units
  •  Parking Garage  
  •  Stainless Steel Appliances
  •  Walk-in Closets
  •  Washer/Dryer In Unit

User Rating

8.5
Great
259 Reviews

About this Location

Whole Foods Market
10 min walk
UP-N (rail) - 5 min
208/250 (bus) - 4 min
The Lakefill
18 min walk
Lots of bars and
restaurants nearby

Pricing 

1 Bedroom, 1 Bath
$2,495+
2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
$2,850+
3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
$4,600+
Schedule Appointment At
(872) 704-8022
  • Bedrooms

    •  Walk-in Closets
  • Included

    •  Gas Included
    •  Heat Included
    •  Water Included
  • Kitchen

    •  Dishwasher
    •  Garbage Disposal
    •  Granite Countertops
    •  Microwave
    •  Refrigerator
    •  Stainless Steel Appliances
    •  Stove & Oven
  • Laundry

    •  Washer/Dryer In Unit
  • Living Room

    •  Air Conditioning
    •  Hardwood Floors
    •  Large Windows
    •  Lots of Sunlight
  • Parking & Transportation

    •  Parking Garage  
  • Pet Terms & Amenities

    •  Cat friendly
    •  Dog friendly
  • Security & Maintenance

    •  24-Hour Front Desk
  • Sports & Fitness

    •  Fitness Center
    •  Indoor Pool
  • Storage

    •  Additional Storage Available
  • Unique Unit Types

    •  Oversize or penthouse units
X

Overall rating 8.5/10, based on 259 renter reviews Write a review

9.4
Location
7.4
Amenities
8.0
Management
8.7
Value
7.7
Social
9.2
Safety
Excellent
135
Great
98
Good
26
Average
0
Terrible
0

Optima Horizons reviews and highlights

  • Modern finishings and appliances
  • Gorgeous view of Lake Michigan
  • Indoor parking garage is a big plus in the winter
  • Excellent amenities
  • Expensive for Evanston
  • Great bathrooms
  • Indoor Pool is great for kids
  • Great for retirees and seniors
  • Building is clean and well maintained
  • 5-10 min walk to bars and restaurants
  • Lots of sunlight
  • Condo rules can be strict
  • Allows large dogs
  • Great place to live
  • Tons of Kellogg students
  • Amenities in units vary
  • Building is pretty quiet if you aren't on the side next to train tracks
  • Friendly landlord and management
  • Gym is small, but enough for simple workouts
  • Front desk personnel are extremely nice
  • Floor to ceiling windows
  • Fee required to reserve the elevator
  • Fantastic location
Filter reviews for
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Nice condo building near campus

Optima Horizons is the closest full-service building to campus. The apartments are pretty different, so make sure you are able to see the specific unit you are renting (either in person or in pictures.) Almost all of the units have been renovated and are very nice. The building is a 7-10 minute walk to the Jake and 5-10 minute walk to most bars and restaurants in Evanston. It is a condo building so try to correspond with the unit's owner a little bit before committing, to get a sense of what kind of a landlord he or she will be. A pretty good bet is going through graduating Kellogg students to take over their apartment. Some landlords have been renting to Kellogg students for years, so it's worth talking to the current tenants about the unit and the landlord.

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
7
Good
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Excellent building, but a little expensive

Great location and amenities and a lot of Kellogg students. On the negative side, rent is a bit expensive.

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  • Couple
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Great location near Jacobs, experience may vary by landlord

This is the best building to live in relation to the Jacobs Center, in my opinion. If you hustle you can make it door to door in 7 min. It's a condo building with central management and you rent individual units from owners - my landlord has generally been good and hands off. The management is a pain in the ass sometimes with elevator reservations, threats to fine you for minor things like not breaking boxes down in the trash room.

Rent includes access to a small gym on the 5th floor and an indoor poor & hot tub. 3 elevators in building, free basic cable, usually includes at least one parking spot. Lots of Kellogg students in the building. A little expensive compared to some other options in Evanston but worth the extra price in my opinion

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

New and very close to campus

The building is very new and all the apartments I've visited, including mine, are great. Spacious, great bathroom and get a lot of sunlight. And it's a 7-10min walk to Kellogg. The only thing is that it is a condo so it's harder to negotiate different units within the building.

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  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Lake View - Penthouse

Great location for Kellogg students. Lake view on penthouse floor. Hardwood floors. Includes parking in heated space.

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  • 2 beds / 1 bath
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

My experience has been great

The building is close to campus and town. We have two parking spots, floor to ceiling windows, and ample space for three people. Overall, I would recommend the apartment to another student. The rent is on the higher end for single units in the building, but having roommates makes it very cost effective.

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  • Roommates
  • 3 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Great Place

Great building full of Kellogg students. Dealing with individual landlords can be difficult and unpredictable.

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  • Couple
  • Pet owner
  • 2 beds / 2 baths

The Neighborhood

Signature Spots

dining 29 Recs

Buffalo Joe’s
Bat 17
Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza
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grocery 2 Recs

Whole Foods Market
Trader Joe’s
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convenience 2 Recs

Walgreens
7-Eleven
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fitness 34 Recs

Pure Barre
Evanston Athletic Club
TITLE Boxing Club
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parks 7 Recs

Dawes Park
City of Evanston Recreation Divisi…
Merrick Rose Garden
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coffee 14 Recs

Andy’s Frozen Custard
Bennison’s Bakery
Unicorn Cafe
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About Downtown Evanston

Since it's home to Northwestern, Downtown Evanston is the most popular residential area for Kellogg students. Most apartment buildings in Downtown Evanston are a 20 minute walk from the Donald P. Jacobs Center, and several public transport options can cut that commute even further. This safe and hig...
Walkable
Easy Commute
Great Location
Student Friendly
Social Community
Great Accessibility
Proximity To Amenities
Median rents in Downtown Evanston
Studio
$
1,650
1 Bedroom
$
2,100
2 Bedroom
$
2,150

Getting around Downtown Evanston


Parking at Optima Horizons

Parking Garage

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Parking Near Optima Horizons

Parking rates are for informational purposes only and may vary — for most up to date pricing, please reach out to the garage directly.

Downtown Evanston Reviews

506 reviews
Downtown Evanston has everything you need. E2 is walkable to campus, a Target, and plenty of restaurants, as well as Metra and L stations to get to Chicago. Right across the street is a Subway, a Thai restaurant, and a pizza place, plus there’s a 7-Eleven about a block away, so you’re very close to options if you need food in a pinch.
Close to downtown Evanston but a bit far from E2/the reserve. One of closest apartments to Trader Joes/Whole Foods/Jewel Osco while also being close to campus. Very close to the lake!
Downtown Evanston has everything you need from a downtown including grocery stores, restaurants, and convenience stores.
Downtown Evanston is great - plenty of great food within walking distance, Metra and El trains right nearby, a really nice place to be. Only downside is it's far from school and the only truly walkable grocery store is a Whole Foods, which can get expensive. Overall, wouldn't want to live elsewhere though.
Close to grocery stores and restaurants. Very easy access to Lake Michigan as well!
There isn't much to do here, but that's true pretty much everywhere in Evanston. We're in walking distance to all of "downtown" Evanston, so restaurants / fast food / subway, etc. It's a slightly longer walk than desired to Kellogg, but that's fine.
The apartment is central to downtown and is walking distance to most bars, restaurants, shops, beach, etc. Evanston is a bit of a sleepy town (especially during the pandemic...I've been told it was much more vibrant pre-pandemic).
I live just south of the main downtown area, and it's the perfect intersection of being close to the action but also a bit removed when you want some quiet. I like being a in a more residential pocket, so there is slightly less foot traffic and really nice areas to walk around with a dog, etc.

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